MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/: There is no evidence to prove allegations that any country deliberately spread the coronavirus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual news conference on Thursday.
"As for the origin [of the virus], there are many rumors but I would like to refrain from making statements about for all the nation and the world to hear, particularly because we don’t see evidence proving allegations against anyone," Putin pointed out.
"I think that we should focus on other things and pool our efforts to combat the problem instead of apportioning blame," the Russian president added.
"Some of our Western partners insist that their domestic and foreign policy is based on humanistic practices, so there is a need to think about ways to help those facing a particularly difficult situation and at least remove trade restrictions and sanctions on those countries and cooperation areas that are important for overcoming the consequences of the pandemic, lift restrictions on the supply of drugs and medical equipment and the training of doctors," Putin emphasized.
